Travels with The Rayman

As we jet off to Mexico City, I sit here in the exit row with plenty of legroom.  This makes blogging a much easier task as I have plenty of room to spread out all my electronics.   And there is no eating of knees.

The last couple of days have flown by.  After leaving the Visellii’s Texas castle, we rented a car from Enterprise and it was so smokey in the car, we had the attendant spray the car.  And then we headed south toward Austin, TX to meet up with Rayman’s brother of the step kind.  They have know each since about 1950.   Johnny and his wife, Dianne, met up with us at a lovely resort where I cheaped out and reserved the “courtyard view” which was really a parking lot view.  They were smarter.  They got a lake view of Travis Lake. 

There was wine tasting in the lobby.  Met some fine folks one of which knew the winemaker at Robert Hall.  The Viognier was quite good…and free.  As we were exiting the lobby on our way to dinner, someone asked us if the car in front of the door was ours.  Actually, yes it was.  Seems when we drove up the bellhop grabbed us, Rayman threw the keys on the front seat and off we went in search of our room.  Forgot all about the car, the claim check etc.  So, our car sat in front of the from door for about an hour and everyone going in and coming out apparently was asked if the car was theirs.  There was a sign in the middle of the driveway…No   Parking.  And there was no valet.  We howled.  And then Rayman moved the car.

Johnnie and Dianne were fabulous.  They drove us all over the place starting the first night they  escorted us to the Oasis Restaurant on Lake Travis.  A multi-story restaurant that featured a dinner bell that rang at sunset.  Fun time was had by all catching up on all our mistakes, mishaps, and the like!!  It had been 2003 the last time we saw them.   Here they are with the Rayman.

The next day we were treated to a wonderful tour of Austin, home of the Texas Longhorns.  Thank goodness they weren’t playing at home on Saturday.  As it was the roads were jammed in downtown Austin.  The Japanese Gardens was our first stop.  We walked the property which was delightful.  That was after Dianne, Rayman and moi charged from the car to the entrance and managed to lose Johnnie who does not have a cell phone.  The search was on.  After 10 frantic minutes, he was located by Dianne and then we were lost.  Once found, we roamed the gardens and as we were about to leave, a woman sauntered by and told s there was going to be a butterfly release in another part of the park.  So we followed her there and witnessed a butterfly release with a group of about 50 people.  Timing is everything.  It was great fun too.   Johnnie and the Rayman above.

Leaving the gardens, we headed over the Barton Springs.  It is a huge natural swimming hole fed by springs usually.  Because this was the only the second sunny day Austin had had following 2 weeks of rain, the Springs were higher than usual because of the river that was at flood level washing down the ravine.  Quite a sight.  On a somber note, there are signs all over certain neighborhoods of Austin telling residents to boil their water before drinking it.  Yikes.

Then we drove through downtown which was having a book fair and caught a glimpse of the state Capital building.  Beautiful.  Lots of shenanigans go on there and it reminded me how much I missed Molly Ivans, the intrepid reporter for the daily newspaper.  Texas politics is a hoot and she captured it in all it’s quirkiness. 

On to the LBJ Library.  When whipping out his wallet to get the credit card, Rayman discovered that he didn’t have it.  Panic ensued.  A full blown search was embarked upon.  He called the restaurant from the night before.  Nada.  So, we put it aside, Johnny bought the tickets and we took the tour.   That was the highlight of Austin for moi.  I have read 3 of Robert Caro’s books on LBJ so it was great fun for me.  Not as fun for the ex-Vietnam vets I was with…Rayman and Johnnie.  Rayman is still pissed at LBJ about that war.  But his Great Society was such a success that it has endured until the Republicans got control of all branches of government and they are busy trying to dismantle the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Civil Rights Act.  The juxtaposition of Johnson and Trump is instructive.  This was my first visit to a Presidential Library and it was fascinating. 

After the tour, we went to the Muddy River for lunch where Rayman managed to get stung on the neck by a bee which activated his arthritis in his knuckles.  Really.  The bees ignore me but the mosquitos didn’t.  I look like I have chicken poxs.  Just saying.   Even have a bite or two on my fuselage.   

We returned to the Lakeway Resort and rested (I washed undies).  After an hour or so, we went up to their room and sat outside enjoying the view.  And we started talking about old family stories.  Johnny had the funniest one.  He lived in Laguna Beach in his 20s and one Thanksgiving he went to dinner at Ray’s mom’s house, his stepmom’s house.  Before entering he threw his white clothes into the washing machine with soap and clorox.   When it was time to cook the turkey, it was discovered that the bird with in the washtub which the washing machine drained into.  How was he to know the turkey was there?  The very bleached bird was discarded.  A friend had an extra bird defrosted and it saved the day.  He’ll never forget it.  And neither will we!!

Always something to learn.  Always something going on.  Great visit. 

Our trip to Texas originated in San Luis Obispo and took us first to the TSA desk, and then the x-ray machine, then off to the belt that moves your possessions through a curtained box, and then the stuff comes out the other side and all piles up like a herd of sheep running up against a wall.  Then all pressure is on, isn’t it?  Picking up your belongings and putting them in your purse, wallet, on your wrist, in the carry-on..and you have to do it in a flash.   Which can induce a feeling of panic and discombobalation.

After that we got in the plane and discovered that we were in the last row.  So, in the last row and on a plane that was so narrow, I could not roll my carry-on down the aisle.  On the flight to Phoenix, I ate my knees and worked a crossword puzzle. 

We transferred at Phoenix and took another flight to Dallas-Ft. Worth airport.  Very bumpy ride with belts on the entire time.  Geez.

It was agreed that we would meet Larry in baggage claim.  And sure enough …there he was.  With his silver white locks, he is hard to miss.  We jumped in the car and headed to Granbury, TX.   A bedroom community 45 minutes southwest of Ft. Worth.  They live in a big one story stone home.  On a big piece of land.   Complete with waterfall feature and as much outdoor furniture as indoor furniture. 

Larry and Laurie invited old friends Jeff and Donna to dinner.  Steak and potatoes…so Texan in my mind.  Great evening with great people and great food and wine…Oh, and the fig and pr0sciutto salame.

Wednesday was spent getting the lay of the land.  In the rain.  In a fancy car that hit my head every time I climbed into it (yes, climbed is a verb, and an apt one at that).  Once I hit my head and then managed to poke myself in the eye with the straw that was poking out of the top of the styrafoam cup that I had in my left hand.  What a klutz.

In our drive-by ride, we stopped in at Larry’s country club.  While walking by the bar, Laurie noticed some women she knew so we dropped in to meet them.  One woman introduced herself as Nita Dick, a very pleasant lady.  The other woman had started the intro handshaking session by introducing herself as Fonda Peters.  Okay.  Really.  The first people we had met in Texas in a bar.  And that is saying a lot because I think the Texas has a lot of bars.  They have bars inside bars.  It is a lifestyle I really hadn’t expected.  So, when I say we met Fonda Peters and Nita Dick…well, that is just special, isn’t?   These women were a stitch.  A good time was had by all.

When we returned home the TV went on and we learned about the bombs being mailed to Democrats.  And we were hooked watching with probably everyone else in America that had a TV and time …the news about the bombs. 

Today, it was Ft. Worth.  They took us to the Stockyards which is an area if town.  Lots and lots of bars.  The pic above is us at Buffalo Butts.   Of beef restaurants.  And a fabulous boot shop. 

Boot shop

Here are some pics.  I saw a pair of boots that were on sale for $1650…the salesman said that they were only $825 each.    It was a fabulous store filled with about$300,000,000 of pure luxury.  Oh, and there were saddles sitting on saw horses here and there.  A sign said to talk to the staff before mounting.  Okay.  Really.  So I told them I wanted to mount that saddle.  He was going to give me a boost but then declined by implying I wouldn’t do it.  “You don’t know that”, I retorted.   And we bantered back and forth.  The guy was a hoot.  Did not expect that in Texas. 

There was a cold wind blowing.  Lots of clouds in the sky.  We stopped for a coffee to warm up.  Had fun wandering the streets and looking in the stores and the windows of the stores.  Lot’s of Halloween merchandise in the windows. 

But. I digress.

The people of Texas have been friendly and with humor galore.  We have had a great time because our friends have gone all out to entertain us.  We didn’t have to rent a car.  We have been chauffeured from here to there.  All the while, catching up with all the news since we had seen each last…a couple of years ago.   That was not my best English sentence but I am not sure how to restate it.  No ( perhaps)   interest to restate the sentence.  You may finally be witnessing me boring myself. 

Other random thoughts.  Texas is pretty flat.  It has very nice freeways.  And I’ve never seen more law enforcement in my life.  I have seen Police, Constables, Sheriffs.  Everywhere.  And get this.  Texas does not air condition their prisons.  You don’t want to get on the wrong side of law here, I’m suspecting.

And the last thing I was say is the visit was way too short.  We leave tomorrow for Austin for the weekend to visit Rayman (you remember him, right?) family members. 

Then it’s hasta la vista, baby. 

In the time honored tradition of sharing my view on a myiad of topics, I submit to you my complaint to Chase Ultimate Rewards department which ruined my tranquil morning.

Hope you enjoy.  I didn’t.

Oct. 18, 2018

CEO – Ultimate Rewards

While I sit on hold with your people, I thought I would give you an account of my dealings with Chase Rewards today.

At 10:43 a.m. I placed a call to cancel a reservation that we made for a hotel.  It is now 12:23 and I’m still working on this issue.  This in itself is absurd.  Rewards takes on a whole new meaning…perhaps it should be called “Punishment, Inc.”.

But I digress.

The problem was that your people could not find my reservation despite the fact that I had an email confirming the reservation.  The second problem was that we have two accounts (Sapphire in the process of becoming a Freedom card and a Chase Reserve card).   Which rewards points did I use?  I had no idea.  It was decided I had used the Sapphire/Freedom points.  Okay.  But the reservation could not be located.  After about a hour and five or six transfers, the mysteries were solved.   

The next problem was that my reservation had to be cancelled because of American Airlines changed our travel plans.  So, I tried to get my points back.  That took another round of phone transfers and instructions to call the hotel, get the name of the manager if that manager approved of refunding the money.  I did this.  The manager agreed.  Then I had to again enter the labyrinth of your Rewards department.  Again, it took three transfers and 40 minutes to get the mission accomplished. 

Heck of a job, Brownie. 

Two hours later, Pius ( your employee) got it done. 

There were multiple opportunities to have done a better job.  One person helping me throughout the process would have cut the time by 50% or more.  How hard can it be?  Our rewards with the two cards apparently exist in two separate universes…A call back number could have been given to me so that when the manager approved a refund, I could have called back the person that told me to get that approval.  A case number could have been assigned for easy reference and that would allowed me not to need to repeat my account info, my zip code, my boat’s license number (just kidding) twenty times (not kidding).

Two hours of my life gone with this mischief.  For shame.

Regards,

Ray and Dianna Jackson

Morro Bay, CA

Are any of you women starting to relate to “On Golden Pond’?  Just wondering.  It may be time to watch it again.  I”m kidding to a degree because when you travel and are out of your routine, funny things happen.  Top of the list, of course, is getting lost.  Second is losing things other than your way.  “Where is my hat?”.  “Where is my jacket, I cannot find it?”.  “What happened to the tape measure?”  “Have you seen my iPad?”  “I can’t find my sunglasses.”  The list goes on and on.  It seems more acute on the road even though our space is smaller, the amount of things we took along is much smaller. 

Or is it just us?

The last few days have been travel days as we are heading south from Portland to Morro Bay.  We stayed several nights in Newport, OR using the excuse that we wanted to play golf (we did and Rayman got a birdie so we celebrated with birdie juice and a trip to the carwash) and/or we wanted to see the sights. 

The real reason is that we wanted to eat at Local Ocean.  Great seafood restaurant.  Do not go there if you want a hamburger.  Don’t go there if you want a pulled pork or a BLT.  Go there if you want roasted garlic and fresh Dungneness soup.  Do go there if you want fish cooked perfectly…halibut, salmon to name two.  They have it down.  Fresh as a flounder (there weren’t any founders on the menu), cooked medium rare.  With interesting veggies, interesting noodles.  Yummy.  We ate there 3 times.  And we stayed at a very expensive RV resort that was perched (also a fish) on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific.

  It had beach access, indoor pool and sauna, pickleball court and heaven knows what else.  That is where I sat watching for whales one morning and saw probably 20-30 blows.  It was exhilarating.  Plus we could see the lighthouse on the bluff to our south.

Here are some pictures. 

After all that, we hooked up and drove to Coos Bay for 2 nights.  Stayed an extra day for a stimulating round of golf.  I beat Rayman because on one hole during the end of the round, he lost his drive in the woods on the right.  Then he lost his second ball in the same woods on the right.  Then he lost his third ball in the woods on the left.  Those narrow fairways got between his ears.  We played at a course about 20 miles north of Bandon Dunes and payed only $50 a round compared to Bandon which is about $350 a round.  So, I suppose you could argue that we were still ahead even factoring in Rayman’s lost balls.  It was a fun course and we had a great time. 

It was Friday.  Kavanaugh had testified on Thursday, along with his accuser, Dr. Ford.  It took us back to our honeymoon which we celebrated on the big Island of Hawaii while Anita Hill testified against Clarence Thomas.  We had TV to watch re: the hearing and Bill Maher hosted Steve Bannon.  Didn’t want to miss that so I jumped in the kitchen and made pesto (from scratch, “Where is my olive oil?”) and a tossed green salad for dinner so we didn’t need to go out to dinner.  Good move.  It was very interesting TV. 

Today, we saddled up and hit the road for Brookings, Oregon, our last night in the beautiful state.  As soon as we pulled in and set up the RV, it rained.  “Where’s my coat?”,  ‘Where’s my hat?”   “Where are the keys?”  “Where is the restaurant.  And so it went.

The funniest thing was uttered by Rayman today.  We were passing through Gold Beach, Oregon.  Their high school sits right on the highway.  The school sported a big sign painted on the side of the building…Home of the Panthers.  “Well, that is silly.  I would think they could think of a better name.”, I exclaimed.  Without missing a beat, Rayman said, “Yeah, It should be Home of the Goldfish”.    We both roared uproariously. 

I can’t remember what happened next so I’ll close now.  On the banks of the Chetco River.

At long last, we have almost succumbed to the wired world.  I don’t choose my words lightly.  It did feel like a near-death experience for us.

When you need everything new, what way do you approach the problems of the wired world?  We decided we needed a TV first.  So, we bought the TV. (see previous blog for the details of that task).  Then we ordered up the DishTV.  We chose Dish because we are familiar with them and they will allow us to suspend our service for up to 6 months for a $5/month charge.    Dish provides the signal for the TV. 

We then ordered up the wifi using a different provider.  We choose Xfinity because they are the only one that services our block.  It took several calls to figure that out.  We need the wifi when we are not here because we decided we should have a home security system.  We are in a mixed neighborhood.  That’s another way of saying, the house on our right is close to being a teardown.  The house across the street and up one is a definite teardown right now.  Please see below.  When you have a home security system, wifi is important. 

I’m presently perched on my chair trying to get the home security system to find our wifi.  In other words, I’m in password hell.  So many passwords, so little time.  Everything needed a password pronto.  The only people that provided me with the passwords I thought up on the spot, was Xfinity.  All the others are a blur.  I’m running through them now.  It looks bleak.  I just noticed some of the neighbor’s names for their wifi.  They include the following:  Jeeves, TheSoundofMusic, Beer, SilverBarley, dingding, awfullyslow, and PanicRoom.  What does this tell me?  I need a better name than FamilyRoom.  But I am still locked out from my needed wifi connection by the security system.  OMG.  This might take all day.  I’m going to shout Uncle and call their customer service number (which is always humiliating because they ask for your password which is unknown).  They may require me to reset everything.  That’s okay….I’ll write it down. 

So…I was able to reset my password with the wifi.  It took 45 minutes and I had to provide everything but Lincoln’s birthday.  Amazing to me that I was successful so I plowed forward to try to get the Vivinet to connect to the wifi.  It’s been an hour and no-go.  What the heck.  I’m going to try to reach them…again.  Sigh.   I reached out.  And what I discovered was that I was attempting to populate the field with the wrong password.  Shocked.  Shocking.  Shocked.   Having been told the error of my ways, I got it to work!!  And I was able to sign into Netflix in the record breaking time of a gelding rushing out of the gate at the Belmont.  Okay.  I perhaps am taking liberties with the truth.  Firstly, I put in the wrong email address (we have three between us).  Then I tried to delete one letter but instead deleted the entire field.  Third time was a charm and victory was realized. 

And that’s when we tuned into Ozarks.  My interest was piqued by my friend, Nancy, when she moved to, well, the Ozarks.  This promised to provide hours of seat-of-your-pants viewing.  It has it all.  Sex, drugs, hillbillies (some with brains), money, Mexicans, cartels, money laundering, infidelities, and great acting.  What more could a woman want? 

Tomorrow we leave for the coast of Oregon on our trek homeward.  First stop Newport.  Or as they say in Virginia, Newpert.  Intend to view it as our vacation because what we have been consumed with has been anything but.  Did I mention that I am sick of shopping?  Need a break.

OH, and before I forget, go see The Wife with Glenn Close.  A movie for the times.  It’s swell.  Saw it tonight in downtown Portland.  Then went to a Jewish deli that was a great choice for an after movie sandwich.  Really wasn’t very hungry because my cousin’s first born, Ali, and her Spanish husband, Bernat, hosted us for breakfast this morning.  Spanish tortilla, scrambled eggs, pastries from the bakery.  It was so much fun to be with them, and Kristen and her three children, and Larry.  Sue missed it because she was waiting for their handy man who was coming to replace their garbage disposal.  Larry made bastard fizzes and Emre, the boy twin, got a bloody nose. There was no causal relationship…just what happened.  After the meal, we retreated to their lovely back yard which includes 5 monster tomato plants that the kids couldn’t resist… so they picked green tomatoes.  And a hammock that they all clamored to swing on.  Don’t we all wish we had their energy?  Why walk when they can run?  Why sit when they can move?  Whirling dervishes, these part Turkish children are and we love them to pieces.  If I had to take care of them for a day, I’d need a week to recover. 

A few words about Portland.  It is a small city with a big heart and many quirky things.  We love it.  Women sport purple hair.  Saw a man with a ponytail wearing a Scottish get-up (did he have undies under that skirt?).  Many rings through noses.  Tattoos abound.  City streetcars with Ikea ads plastered all over them.  Interesting shop windows.  Interesting shops that you don’t see everywhere which is refreshing in a world awash in strip malls with all the same stores…Bed, Bath and Beyond, Home Depot, MacDonald’s…you get the picture.  The sameness is at once predictable but entirely boring.  WalMart has not replaced everything, it turns out.  Even my home town of Paso that sported stores unique to the place…now has Target, Chili’s, Pier One.  And Walmart.  Sad.  But don’t get me wrong.  Portland has those too.  But it also has neighborhoods, districts, that are populated by stores with unique names like Gizelle, Gin and Denim, Fire and Stone.  And the food trucks.  Every ethnicity seems represented.  It is true.  It makes me feel old in a way and vibrantly alive in another.  Can’t wait to return and have all our friends up for a visit!! 

Maybe by next summer, I’ll be able to find my way around.  This kid is lost 95% of the time.  I can’t get my barings.  Or is it bearings?  At any rate, if I think we should be turning right, invariably we need to turn left.  Could mystery microwaves be scrambling my sense of direction?  I’ve never felt so lost.  I swore my cousin’s house was on the opposite side of the street as ours.  It’s not.  Lost in space.  That’s me.  And that’s that for now.

My, today has been challenging because of “The Great Convergence”.  Let me just recount the events of the day.

Arose at 6:15 a.m.   Went to move The Dog House from our RV park location to a storage location.  We are now officially spending the nights at the skinny house (SH).   Cheaper to store than to camp.  The move including about an hour’s drive in morning traffic, weaving and dodging traffic all the way to Tualatlin from Troutdale.   The RV storage place has a command center.  That’s where Rayman disappeared for about 20 minutes to sign countless forms, present proof of insurance…etc.  Then from there, we drove a couple of miles to the actual storage lot.  There was a kiosk with a keypad and Rayman endeavored to put in his pin that he had just furnished to the command center.  It didn’t work.  He had to call.  He had chosen his phone number but he didn’t hit star first.  Oh, well, that was a precursor to what followed.  We parked the RV.   And rushed back to SH because we had my cousin’s husband standing guard as deliveries were expected.  Good thing because the chairs arrived first while he was there. 

What else was expected?  A package from Williams Sonoma, a package from Amazon, our new TV, the security service ADT, and the DishTV people. 

The TV was due yesterday but we received a call saying that they were moving delivery to this a.m.  When this a.m. came and went, Rayman drove to Best Buy to find out what happened to the TV because I called the local store and was on hold for 15 minutes before hanging up in disgust.  While he was gone, the ADT people showed up.  No sooner had they arrived when Rayman called to report that the TV was on the truck.  The store contracts out deliveries.  They could not reach the truck company.  The supervisor of the truck company did not answer.  It was organized chaos.  Rayman developed a very bad headache.  He came back with news that the TV was on the truck but no one could tell us when it might arrive. 

AS I mentioned, the ADT people were here.  Have you ever ordered home security?  It is high tech.  It requires a special word which must be remembered for verification when an emergency occurs.  It requires two different passwords.  More on that later.

So, we had purchased a mattress for our RV and when we received it before leaving on this trip, we decided we really didn’t need it but it was so expensive to return, we kept it.  It was in the garage.  Well, we decided after buying SH that we could use that mattress.  So, I spent a couple of hours on the UPS website arranging for shipment from our beach bungalow to our SH.  When I hit ship, something went wrong and the order never took.  This was a sign.  So, today I was resolved amid the chaos to try FedEx.  Actually, I signed up for an account and thought I had arranged the shipment.  But Fedex never showed up today.  So, I was actually working on why that was the case.  In the middle of discussing the situation with FedEx, the ADT people wanted to teach us how to use the system.  I asked Rayman to go and deal with it as I was on the phone.  He did.  He chose pins.  After my call, I joined then and as I was being taught how to use the system, it required Rayman to enter the pin.  IT DIDN”T WORK.  How many times has that happened to you?  Many for me in the privacy of my own home.  This however, involved two installers watching him forget the pin that he just entered.  Poor RAyman.  He was so flustered from the Best Buy experience, I think he just drew a blank. 

The other thing is that the guy that taught us spoke at breakneck speed and it was hard to follow.  I commented that they were probably going to have a beer and laugh about how dumb we were.  They didn’t deny it.  Just sayin.

So, right as the ADT people left, the TV arrived.  We are mounting the TV over the fireplace.  This requires a gizmo that tilts the TV.  Screws were missing.  Off to Best Buy we went.  We left with an HDMI cord.  No screws.  Final solution?  The screwed were included with the mounting gizmo.  Oh, and on the way to the Best Buy store Rayman got lost and this involved about a 15 minute detour which increased his headache.   The project was abandoned.  We opted for restaurant dining instead.

Epilogue:  The TV is mounted, the wifi is installed, the home security is activated.  It only took a week and a day.  We are fully wired and ready to roll!!!